The present invention relates to an apparatus for managing a battery unit to be incorporated into, for example, an uninterruptible power supply system.
The uninterruptible power supply system comprises a battery unit. Power is supplied from the battery unit to a load when the commercial AC power supply fails to supply power, whereby the load can be driven without break. The battery unit comprises a plurality of storage batteries connected in parallel or in series.
In the uninterrupted power supply system it is necessary to inspect each storage battery periodically.
Recently, sealed-type lead storage batteries are used in great quantities as storage batteries. The jar of a sealed-type lead storage battery is sealed. This makes it impossible to determine whether the electrodes in the jar have been corroded or whether the electrolyte in the jar is insufficient in amount. It is therefore very difficult to detect whether each storage battery is defective (due to, for example, manufacturing errors) or has expired.
If any one of the storage batteries is defective or has expired, the battery unit may no longer supply power to the load.